PARLIAMENT.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXI, Issue 199, 22 August 1900, Page 3

PARLIAMENT.

(By Telegraph—Parliamentary. Reporter.)

WELLINGTON, this day. LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

In the Legislative Council to-day the Agricultural and Pastoral '* Societies Act Amendment Bill passed its final stages on the motion of the Hon. D. Pinkerton.

On the motion for the third reading of the Imprisonment for Debt Limitation Bill the Hon. J. M. Twomey strongly protested against the Bill, lie said he had been asked to let the Bill go because when it was sent back to the House of Hepresentatives it would be placed on the bottom of the order paper and thus be disposed of. The lion. H. Feldwick moved that the debate be adjourned. This was agreed to and, the Council adjourned until Wednesday 29th inst.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

NOKTH TRUNK EAIDWAY.

The House met at half-past two, when another shoal of petitions was presented in favour of the speedy completion of the North Island Trunk railway. The petitions were received.

BANK GUARANTEE FUND,

The Bank of New Zealand Officers Guarantee and Provident Association Bill was passed through all its remainingl stages. The measure has yet to pass the ordeal of the Council before it can take its place in the Statute Books of the colony. CIVIL SERVICE EXAMINATION.

The adjourned debate on the motion for the second reading of this Bill was resumed by Captain Russell, who opposed the Bill, which, he said, would undermine the standard of efficiency now required. Less than onefourth of those who passed the junior civil service examination received appointments. It was the duty of the Government to choose those applicants who were at the top of the list of points. In his opinion the existing Act effectively met all requirements, and contained all the necessary limitations.

Mr Massey opposed that part of clause 2 which provides for an examination "prescribed by regulations to be made under this Act by the Gover-nor-in-Council," which he thought would lower the general standard of examination. He wants a Civil Service Board, quite independent, of Government infhience.

Mr Monk opposed the Bill. Mr Thomson (Marsden) also was of opinion that the Bill -would lower-the standard of the civil service, a phrase which by this time had become stereotyped

Mr Fowlds had no doubt that the Bill was intended by its. framers to amend some defects, but it appeared they had gone too fai\ Ho was opposed to the abolition of the standard examination. Under the Bill a man might pass a comparatively easy examination for one department, and then get transferred to another department, for which the examination

s much more difficult.

The Hon. Mr. Ward pointed out that the Bill has passed the Council without dissent. He ridiculed the suspicion that there was "something beyond the Bill." The measure left the junior civil service examination perfectly intact. He said some of tne best men in the civil service had nor passed the fifth standard, though they were excellent workers, yet owing- to not having had the good fortune to receive >a collegiate or high school education other men were passed over their heads. He dwelt upon the injustice of keeping- the salary of civil servants at a maximum of £100 unless they passed an examination as prescribed under the Bill. Why was it necessary that this Bill should .be introduced? It had been correctly said by the hon. member for Wallace that if you want to liavc civil service appointments made over the length and breadth of the colony, the young men who desired to qualify must'all have equal opportunities to pass for the .civil service. Civil service boards had pi-oved a curse to every country in which they had been tried. The Opposition, when they were in office, packed the civil service with the sons of their friends. He emphatically denied that there had been any exemption in connection with the appointments made by the present Government. As to the objection to clause 2, which provides that the examination shall be fixed by regulations to be made by the Governor-m-Council, he said the same course was followed in the Act of 188 C. It had been said that the Government, which had the control of the public chest of the colony, was to have no voice in the selection of members of the civil service. It might as well be said that they should have no power to dismiss or transfer a civil.servant. He presumed the idea, was to create a National Association in this colony; and to'ap< point Mr Massey as teacher for life at a salary of £5000/ Then, of course, the service would be conducted in a proper way, with Mr Monk assisting the hon. member .for Franklin, by preaching on the perfection of the system adopted in America; in fact, the standard of political purity would be so elevated that it could not be successfully carried out until th°se gentlemen were raised to a higher sphere of existence. Mr Monk, rising to make a personal explanation, declared that he had never in the course of his political career asked the Government to appoint any person to a civil service position. The hon. gentleman (Mr Ward) was no doubt an intellectual man, but on some occasions he appeared to hang- up his intellect, and to allow his jaws to wag. • The Speaker thought the expression was hardly a polite one. Mr Ward: "It is evident that the hon. member for Waitemata has never passed a civil (with particular emphasis on the word "civil") examination." . The second reading was then carrie<3 on a division by 34 to 23.

BILLS POSTPONED.

The Shorthand Reporters' Bill 'had come down from the Legislative Council,* but by some' inadvertence - that chamber passed the last clause, which is an appropriation clause, and therefore the Bill could not be proceeded with in the House until this was rectified.

The Slaughtering and Inspection Bill wns also postponed, to the manifest delight of the member for Parnell, who regards it as "the abomination of abominations."

The Government, in one of its fits of industry, wanted to go into committee on the next three Bills on the order paper, against a strong protest

from the Opposition, who dreaded an all night sitting. The question went to a division, with the result that the Government proposal was lost by 27 to 29, amidst Opposition cheers—they are thankful for small mercies with their small minority. The House thus decided to go on with two Bills, the Animals Protection Amendment and Education Boards Election Bill. ANIMALS PROTECTION. The House went into committee on the Animals Protection Acts Amendment Bill. On clause 2, time for killing native and imported game, Mr Monk suggested that in lieu of the season being- fixed at from first May to thirty-first July in each year; in the North the season shall begin on May '24th. The Colonial Secretary said he had l/eceiivejd numprjous commuiricatlioiiis; from persons not connected- with acclimatization societies and others in favour of the date mentioned in the Bill. Mr Morrison moved to amend the clause bo as to make the season in the South Island begin on the Ist April. The amendment was rejected by 49 to 8, clause 2 was then passed without amendment. On clause 3, game and native game not to be exported without consent of the Colonial Secretary under a penalty of £20, nor to be held in possession longer than seven days after the close of the game season, with like penalty, Mr Millar (Dunedin) made a strong attack on the Bill, which he declared was merely giving a monopoly of game shooting to a few favoured persons. Mr Wilford moved to amend the clause, with a view to prohibit pheasants being sold or offered for sale within the colony. This was negatived on the voices. Mr T. Mackenzie moved to insert words j>reventing native game being sold or offered for sale within, the colony. The amendment was . nega^ tived on the voices, and clause 3 passed. On clause 4, stoats and weasels, etc., not to be liberated on islands adjacent to the mainland on which- native birds exist, and upon which .there are no rabbits at large, Mr Ell moved to amend the clause so as to prevent the liberation of stoats, weasels, etc., in any part of the colony. Mr Napier supported the amendment, referring to a recent case in Parnell where a child was attacked by a weasel, and.he ridiculed the idea of a man being prohibited by law from destroying the animal under such circumstances. On a division being taken the amendment was negatived by 32 to 18. Mr Willis moved to add a proviso to the effect that the protection now extended to stoats and weasels shall be removed. A division resulted in: Ayes 25, noes. 25. The chairman gave his casting vote with the ayes, and declared the amendment carried.

Mr Ward moved to report progress. This was carried, and the House rose at 1.45 a.m.' ■ .<